What to do when shark approach?

[tedj101]

Soup - unfortunately...

<TED>

I would thank my lucky stars.

I haven't seen any sharks (except nurse sharks) since I swam with a hammerhead 5 years ago.

Where did all the sharks go?

 

[mikemath]

Regarding camera strobes and sharks: I had read (sorry, can't remember where) NOT to take a picture (with strobe light) if the shark appeared aggitated or aggressive as this would further "arouse" the shark and maybe provoke an attack?

And I've also read the exact opposite, that the strobe firing at close range would sort of "blast" the sharks sensory organs and drive it off.... anyone know?

Best wishes.

They could both be true. Sharks in an aggressive mood are very different than those in a more placid mood. If you don't know how to differentiate between the two behaviors, best bet is probably not to use a strobe.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

WWECD- What Would Eric Cartman Do? Kick him in the nuts!

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

WWECD- What Would Eric Cartman Do? Kick him in the nuts!

Yeah, but I'm not lifting it's tail to look for the "General and Two Colonels". Uh uh, not me!

Best wishes.

 

[roughwater]

What would you do if you are in water and no where to get behind, there is HUGE shark approach toward you and opens its mouth?:vintagediver:

Check to make sure the switch on my sharkshield was in the ON position.

I have heard of police divers in South Australia who have taken off their BC's and placed them between themselves and a great white (with the tank on the outside) and slowly ascended to their support keeping their BC and tank between them and the shark. Sounds like a good idea to me if I've got nothing to hide behind, except if I had enough air, I'd probably go down instead of up.

 

[ToPpS]

I and my dive buddy went diving at Aliwal Shoal (South Africa), early Friday morning.
Anyway long story short is that after changing the dive site due to visibility concerns, we eventually dropped down onto a dive site called Cathedral. It's apparently well known for the Ragged tooth sharks that arrive there for breeding.

It was my first "proper" encounter with sharks. I missed out on them when diving off Koh Tao at Champon Pinnacle and my previous dive at Aliwal.

But as we dropped down to 24m the first thing I saw was a Raggie swimming along the bottom before veering off into the haze. Soon enough though, we were all sitting at Cathedral surrounded by Raggies. I had one swim right underneath me. Another one that swam along side me so that I actually looked it in the eye..... I didn't do anything differently than I usually do on a dive. Hands were in and everything was smooth and slow.

It was a great first experience with sharks and with the sardine run hopefully on it's way, hopefully not the last!

A bonus on this dive, before and after the dive was getting the opportunity to do some whale watching. Humpback whales in this case. We had them swimming under the boat, breaching and showing us there tails as they dove.

All in all a magic day above and below the sea.

A good "debunking" film series to watch are Jean-Michel Cousteau's "Sharks: At Risk" and "America&#8217;s Underwater Treasures". It was amazing to watch him interact with a Great White shark and actually catch a ride on it's dorsal fin! Although amazing, even he says, it was the first and last time he'll dive like that with a great white.

Sharks are not there to be feared but should definitely be respected!

 

[tedj101]

I can't speak for aggressive moods, but on shark dives we shoot with stobes all the time and it doesn't even seem to interest the sharks, much less change their behavior. Now that may be because sharks on the average shark dive tend to be used to photographers, but the same seems to be true on trips to remote locations to photograph sharks in their natural state.

YMMV,

<TED>

They could both be true. Sharks in an aggressive mood are very different than those in a more placid mood. If you don't know how to differentiate between the two behaviors, best bet is probably not to use a strobe.

 

[tedj101]

They're pretty much out in the open on most sharks and you don't have to lift the tail to see them !

<TED>

Yeah, but I'm not lifting it's tail to look for the "General and Two Colonels". Uh uh, not me!

Best wishes.

 

[Hoomi]

As long as I keep him on my side of the ring me and my buddy would just double team his ass. And when correctly applied, no one, and I mean no one comes back from the sleeper or originally known as the "Weaverlock".

You'd better hope he doesn't have his own Tag-Team buddy to come after you with the folding chair!

 

[BDSC]

You'd better hope he doesn't have his own Tag-Team buddy to come after you with the folding chair!

Damn. Hadn't thought of that! Might have to get "Nature Boy" Ric Flair to give him a low blow. After all, he was the dirtiest player in the game. Wooooooooooooooooo!